RUTH
30-Day Devotional
By Alistair Begg with Elizabeth McQuoid
IVP & Keswick Ministries.
91 pages. £4.99
ISBN 978 1 783 595 259 /
eBook 978 1 783 595 266
Everyone loves the book of Ruth. It is heroic, tense and romantic.
This daily devotional book by Alistair Begg and Elizabeth McQuoid wonderfully lifts the heart to worship the real hero of the story – the faithful covenant God of Israel. The book is divided into 30 short sections, taking the reader through the whole book of Ruth in what feels like real time. Each two-page chapter derives from an excerpt from a sermon by Alistair Begg delivered at Keswick, to which a further newly-written paragraph of application has been added.
Pointing to Jesus
Working through the book, I enjoyed the way in which the teaching and applications clearly set Ruth within the context of the whole Bible story, constantly pointing us forward to Jesus and the ultimate fullness found in him. Along the way there are also thoughtful sections dealing with smaller details of the story. These have challenging applications for today, such as care for older parents, compassion for the poor and the foreigner, saying final goodbyes, being willing to take initiative, how to be a godly employer, what Christians could do to help others find life partners, and a brilliant passage on marriage (on Day 28).
God’s fingerprints
Alistair Begg uses language in a vivid way that captures the imagination. From the hopelessness at the beginning of the book of Ruth, we see that, ‘pain and grief are means God uses to train our eyes on the horizon, to keep us looking forward for that eternal hope’ (p.37). By the end of the book we expectantly await the return of ‘Christ – your kinsman redeemer and King’ (p.91). I warmly recommend the book and found that it certainly helped me ‘start to see God’s fingerprints all over your life (p.18).’
